Tag Archives: DEI

diversity, equity & inclusion

Police brutality in America: Teach-Out encourages learners to get informed, involved

By | July 9, 2020
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As Black Lives Matter protests continue throughout the nation and deadly run-ins with police repeatedly make headlines, the University of Michigan explores the topic with a “Police Brutality in America Teach-Out.” Online now, the self-guided learning event on Coursera explores the history of policing in the United States and the legacy of mistrust between police and minority communities.… Read More »

Inclusive technology: How a single step could pave the way

By | June 30, 2020
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(Chad Jenkins standing with his arms around two robots that almost reach his shoulders standing upright.)

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and other recent incidents of police brutality, a coalition of Black computer scientists drafted an open letter calling for action in the computing community to address systemic and structural inequities Chad Jenkins, a roboticist and associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan, is among… Read More »

Tandem wins teaching innovation prize

By | June 30, 2020
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(Portrait of Robin Fowler smiling.)

Tandem, a tool that helps track and facilitate group projects, has received the University of Michigan Provost’s Teaching Innovation Prize. Tandem was developed by the Center for Academic Innovation and Michigan Engineering. Robin Fowler, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering, and one of the faculty leads who helped develop Tandem. She is talking about Tandem at the… Read More »

Why accessible material helps everyone

By | June 22, 2020
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Accessible materials are a good basic practice precisely because they are often easier for all students to understand and process. Creating accessible materials helps all learners in your course and provides them with equal access to course materials and learning opportunities. Digital accessibility like consistent semantic markup and clean links makes it easier for everyone to navigate and… Read More »

How simple video editing can improve recorded lectures

By | June 19, 2020
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Transitioning to online lecturing may seem daunting at first, but LSA Learning and Teaching Technology Consultants have shared some tricks and tips for making it easier.  According to the consultants, recording an hour-long lecture with slides to mimic a typical, in-person meeting reduces information retention and effectiveness of the instruction. Instead, lecturers should consider making shorter video lectures… Read More »

optiMize funds COVID-19 Community Aid Efforts

By | June 19, 2020
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Food pantry

optiMize, a student-led incubator at the University of Michigan, launched a $25,000 Community Aid Relief Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief fund aims to provide mutual aid and community-based projects in Washtenaw county. Students at U-M, Eastern Michigan University, and Washtenaw Community College were eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in funding. optiMize received… Read More »

Black computer scientists, including U-M professors, call to dismantle racism in the field

By | June 15, 2020
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Black in Computing and Our Allies for Equity and Fairness

Signers of an open letter raise the alarm on interpersonal and institutional racism as well as racial bias occurring from improper development and use of computing technology. A coalition of black computer scientists has drafted an open letter to the computing community, calling for action to address systemic and structural inequities. They ask for equal partnership in the leadership… Read More »

Dillahunt receives Skip Ellis Early Career award

By | June 11, 2020
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Tawanna Dillahunt

Tawanna Dillahunt, University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) associate professor, was announced as an inaugural recipient of The Computing Research Association’s Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP) Skip Ellis Early Career Award.  The award is given to a person who identifies as a member of an underrepresented group in computing who has made significant contributions… Read More »

A virtual journey exploring Pride

By | June 1, 2020
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Beginning in the U.S. in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Pride was a radical claiming of space, self-affirmation, and dignity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) communities. Over the past several decades, this phenomenon has begun to have a meaningful impact on society on a global scale. More specifically, in North America, Pride goes beyond a… Read More »

Research on human biases in AI learning earns best student paper award

By | May 26, 2020
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The project demonstrated that a certain bias in humans who train intelligent agents significantly reduced the effectiveness of the training. A team of researchers working to more effectively train autonomous agents earned the Pragnesh Jay Modi – Best Student Paper at the International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (AAMAS 2020). Led by second-year Ph.D. student Divya… Read More »

Profiles in IT: Kara Thomas—Active listening advocate

By | April 24, 2020
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Kara Thomas outdoor shot

MiWorkspace desktop support specialist associate, Kara Thomas, provides IT support at the Fleming Building to some of the highest-ranking officials at the university. She does it with aplomb and an eye toward mental health well-being. She is active with the ITS and Fleming Building DEI teams, and interested in overall health and general well being.  Tell us about… Read More »

Retooled computer science course goes all-COVID, all-online

By | April 22, 2020
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laptop in darkened room with surgical mask on the keyboard

A COVID-era redesign of a long-running computer science undergraduate course will put up to 120 U-M computer science and engineering students to work designing software to tackle problems related to the crisis during the 2020 spring/summer semester. Computer science and engineering lecturer David Chesney has run the class for years as an in-person offering called “Software for Accessibility.”… Read More »

Federal Court rules in favor of UMSI professor in discrimination research case

By | April 8, 2020
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modern login form interface design with username and password

A federal court has cleared the way for academic researchers, computer scientists, and journalists to continue work that investigates online company practices for racial, gender or other discrimination. The ruling means that those who research online companies no longer have to fear prosecution for the work they do to hold tech companies accountable for their practices, said Christian Sandvig, professor… Read More »

Researchers to use brain scans to understand gender bias in software development

By | April 6, 2020
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A 2017 study reported that a code author’s gender had a significant impact on the code reviewer’s approval or rejection rate. In fact, women’s contributions were rejected more often when their gender was identifiable to the reviewer, and accepted more often when their work was anonymous. An interdisciplinary team of U-M researchers will test these observations and identify… Read More »

LSA prof creates digital archive of Chicana artifacts

By | February 10, 2020
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CPMR logo over black & white photo of women

Maria Cotera, associate professor of American Culture and of women’s studies, is one of the founders of the Chicana por mi Raza Digital Memory Project. Launched in 2009, the project aims to preserve records of self-identified Chicana feminists by conducting interviews and digitizing artifacts in their personal collections. The repository has collected about 150 oral history interviews and… Read More »

First-ever Women+ Data Science Symposium

By | January 29, 2020
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two african american women working on a laptop

The very first Women+ Data Science Symposium will be held April 17, 2020. All practicing and aspiring data scientists, but especially women and gender minority participants, are invited to discuss cutting-edge research, explore resources for research and career advancement, and network with other attendees. You are encouraged to submit your idea for a talk or poster! Especially in… Read More »

Cybersecurity outreach shows career in IA is attainable

By | January 20, 2020
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hands over keyboard, one holding a phone, security icons floating in the foreground

The Information Assurance: Michigan Medicine (IA) team was awarded a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Innovation Mini-Grant from the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion. With the goal of spreading awareness of the field of cybersecurity and available job opportunities, the IA team developed a two-hour interactive introduction to the field of information assurance. Participants learned about the role… Read More »

ITS and OIE partner with campus to pilot new accessibility tool in Canvas

By | December 10, 2019
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A series of icons that depict vision, hearing, and mobility represent digital and web accessibility

The Office for Institutional Equity (OIE), the University Library, Information Technology Services (ITS), College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts (LSA), and other campus partners are piloting the Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool (UDOIT) in Canvas to address more content accessibility issues earlier in the course creation process. The team, collectively the Learning Materials Accessibility Team (LMAT),… Read More »